A man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the armed robbery of a convenience store in East St. Louis, Illinois. Vernelle E. Hines, aged 31, was arrested in Houston, Texas, and pleaded guilty to charges of interference with commerce by robbery and carrying and using a firearm during a crime of violence.
Court documents revealed that on October 31, 2023, Hines brandished a firearm at the Mega Supermarket store clerk, demanding two bottles of tequila. When the clerk refused, Hines assaulted him, discharged his firearm into the ceiling, and forcibly took two bottles of tequila along with several hundred dollars. During the incident, Hines wore a mask to conceal his identity. The store clerk sustained serious and permanent injuries as a result.
“This 20-year sentence of a convicted felon who committed a brutal robbery is evidence of the Illinois State Police’s commitment to making communities safer,” stated ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “ISP special agents will follow leads and track down those who commit evil until justice is served.”
At the time of this offense, Hines was already on federal supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm from charges in the Eastern District of Missouri.
The investigation was led by the Illinois State Police’s Public Safety Enforcement Group with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service in the Southern District of Illinois and Homeland Security Investigations in Houston Division within the Southern District of Texas.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali Burns prosecuted this case.